John Lattner won the Heisman Trophy although he did not even lead the Irish in passing, rushing, receiving or scoring.[11] Lattner held the Notre Dame record for all-purpose yards until Vagas Ferguson broke it in 1979.

Paul Hornung carried the ball 94 times his senior year for 420 yards for an average of 4.5 yards per try. He completed 59 of 111 passes for a total offensive figure of 1,337 yards. He is the only Heisman winner to have played on a losing team as the Irish were 2-8 in 1956[19]